


the day the music died

by MavenMorozova



Category: Renegades - Marissa Meyer
Genre: Angst, Bakery and Coffee Shop, F/F, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Nobell, One Shot, a bit of, but...mostly angst, mostly sad danna, remembering the good times with her girlfriend
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-09
Updated: 2020-01-09
Packaged: 2021-02-27 15:08:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,021
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22189141
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MavenMorozova/pseuds/MavenMorozova
Summary: But this was all in late winter, on a cold day that froze tears and hardened hearts. On a day where Nova McLain disappeared for good and Nova Artino took her place. Danna Bell’s story began the previous year, when Nova McLain still loved her, when Insomnia and Monarch were unstoppable, when music still rang in Danna’s ears. When the Renegades were still powerful. When the Anarchists were still at large. When Danna thought that her sweet music could never die.
Relationships: Nova Artino | Nightmare/Danna Bell | Monarch
Kudos: 13





	the day the music died

**Author's Note:**

> ayo this is a little nobell one shot from an anon request on tumblr. I felt sad that day, and also gay for my girlfriend, so we got this. hopr you like it!

_ “A long, long time ago, I can still remember, how that music used to make me smile. And I knew if I had one chance, I could make those people dance, and maybe they’d be happy for a while. But February made me shiver with every paper I'd deliver, bad news on the doorstep, I couldn't take one more step. I can't remember if I cried when I read about his widowed bride. Something touched me deep inside the day the music died.” _

-Don McLean

The month was February. The day was cold and bleak, winter’s grasp still strong against the wills of the people. Danna Bell was shivering as she unlocked her apartment door and waited for the elevator. The building’s heat, yet again, had broken. She reached the lobby and shuffled over to the mail slots. There, the newspaper waited for her, a thick wad of thin paper against the junk mail and bills and the catalogs. She lifted it and saw the black-and-white image sprawled over the front page. Nova  _ Artino _ .  _ Nightmare _ . She’d known this, she  _ knew  _ this. Yet her heart still gave a few quick beats that seemed to pound out of every fiber of her being. Love. Anarchy. Desire. Fear.  _ Rage _ .

Danna threw down the paper, bringing a gloved hand to her mouth as her face crumpled. No, she couldn’t cry. Not with Nova being a villain! She couldn’t bring herself to even read the headline, though she nonetheless knew what it would say. Nova was the feared Nightmare, simple as that.  _ But she had helped the Renegades! She fought the Anarchists! She had helped to save Gatlon! _ And so, Danna knew, she would be pardoned. Which both relieved and infuriated her. She was just supposed to get away with all her crimes?

She realized that a tear had fallen onto her upper lip, and quickly licked it away.  _ No _ . She gave her face a swipe and headed back to the elevator to bring the mail to her apartment before heading out of the building for good. Nova McLain, she told herself, never existed. The girl she loved was never real. And if she had been, she was dead. If anything, she was Adrian’s now. How comforting.

But this was all in late winter, on a cold day that froze tears and hardened hearts. On a day where Nova McLain disappeared for good and Nova Artino took her place. Danna Bell’s story began the previous year, when Nova McLain still loved her, when Insomnia and Monarch were unstoppable, when music still rang in Danna’s ears. When the Renegades were still powerful. When the Anarchists were still at large. When Danna thought that her sweet music could never die.

…

Nova twisted her bracelet nervously as she waited for Danna to arrive. She was sitting awkwardly outside the Alder Cafe, where she had arranged to meet her girlfriend for a late brunch, but Danna was nowhere to be found. She had briefly considered contacting her via the Renegades band but had then thought against it. Danna would turn up soon.

As if on cue, she noticed a girl walking up the street towards her, a yellow crop top against her dark skin, matching her braids that swung as she walked. She wore white skinny jeans and pink sandals, and she looked  _ marvelous _ .

Nova waved as Danna approached, feeling a bit awkward in her almost alien clothing style, compared to the chic clothing that her girlfriend sported. She herself was only wearing a faded t-shirt from an old band that probably didn’t exist anymore, black jeans, and worn black boots. She felt an overwhelming sense of relief that she had dared to put on a layer of blush and eye shadow.  _ Thank you, Honey _ . “Hi, baby.”

“You look cute,” was Danna’s response as she took Nova’s hand and led her into the cafe. “I love the blue shadow.”

“Thank you,” Nova mumbled. “Speak for yourself!”

They sat at a window table. Nova went up and ordered them two coffees, a croissant sandwich for Danna, and a burrito and hash browns for herself. After returning to the table, she let out a long sigh. “So,” she said with a smile.

“You okay?”

“Oh yeah,” she responded. “I’m good. Just exhausted mentally. You know, Renegades stuff.”

Danna nodded. “Yeah, and with all the Nightmare business…”

Nova cringed inwardly. Danna didn’t know, did she? No. If she did, she’d have turned Nova in by now, girlfriend or not. She was too loyal to the Renegades’ cause. “Definitely,” she agreed, hoping she didn’t sound too fervent. “She needs to be stopped.”

Danna sighed and took Nova’s hand, running her thumb across her knuckles. “Well, you’re the most capable person I know, Nova. You could defeat me, I know. If you ever come across her…”

“She won’t stand a chance,” Nova finished, kissing Danna’s fingers. “Against you, she wouldn’t, either.” That was a lie. Nova was sure she could best Danna, whether she was Insomnia or Nightmare. But that would be a stupid way to give herself away.

“Nova?” called the cashier from across the cafe.

“That’s me,” Nova told her girlfriend before pushing herself away from the table and going to retrieve their food and coffees. When she returned, Danna was missing a finger, and in its place flew a butterfly that circled Nova as soon as she sat down.

“What are you doing, Monarch?” Nova asked jokingly. She tried to catch it, but the orange-and-black butterfly evaded her grasp.

“Hey, this is a way that I can eat my food and still touch you,” Danna only shrugged, biting into her croissant with a small smile. “Mmm, so good.” She raised an eyebrow and the butterfly landed on Nova’s wrist. A kiss, almost.

A kiss, almost. They would kiss. Eventually. Nova dreamt of Danna’s soft lips locked on hers, Danna’s finger’s tracing her fingers up her arms and down her shoulder, Danna’s braids tickling her waist. But would that happen before Nova had to leave the Renegades? The thought often plagued her mind until she could think of nothing else.

_ A kiss, almost. _

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading, hope u enjoyed! As always, I appreciate praise/constructive criticism and a nice lil kudos:))


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